Talking books are known and are a popular item for children, especially young children who are learning to, or have just learned to, read. The sound source, whatever its structure, is keyed to the story in the book so that the sounds produced bear some relationship to the content of the story in the form of indiciums on at least one page of the book prompting the reader to press a button on the toy, which makes the sounds; or actual words or phrases will appear as indiciums on at least on page of the story book. These types of books are enjoyable and educational for the child, and in addition they are unlimited in use in that they are able to provide an active role for the child. The child can play the sound with the toy while not reading the book, making the learning experience one in which the child can determine where and when it is used or played.
A child's interest and imagination are enhanced when the child is able to take a more active role in reading or listening to the story through the use of the associated toy. To provide a more enjoyable and educational reading and learning experience, it is desired to provide a novelty item or toy known to those of ordinary skill in the art as a stuffed toy and will appreciate that stuffed toys defined herein are for exemplary purposes only, and that other animals or mythical creatures will be created, all with a sound source that is separate from the book. The sound source produces realistic sounds of human speech or a specific animal noise exemplified in the figures below as the whinny or snort of a horse. In addition to realistic sounds, the toy will play accompanying soothing music, known to those in the art to assist in the learning process, including reading and enhancement of abstract reasoning skills. This gives the reading novelty item a greater play and educational value. By permitting the sound source to be separate from the book, the reader, particularly a young child, can more actively and more realistically act out the story along with the primary character in the book. This gives the child a greater feeling of participation in the reading process and stimulates the child's interest in the subject matter. Versions of the story will include different reading levels and sounds that are appropriate to the age and developmental ability of the reader. In story books adapted for younger readers aged 3-6, there will be more colorful, plentiful and larger pictures. A story version directed to an older child will have less pictures and more sophisticated language appropriate for that target age group.